Review:
I got this bag as a gift from my wife 18 months ago. I've been meaning to post up a review since I first got my bag, but just haven't. In fact, it has been so long that even though I say it was a gift from my "wife", she wasn't even my wife at the time she gave it to me :)

Even though this review is 18 months late, the bag itself still looks brand new. I'm a bicycle commuter and I have used this bag virtually every day since I got it. I don't exactly treat the bag gently either. I've biked in the rain with it and when I get home I just toss it on the floor. It's def scraped against walls and the ground and you'd hardly be able to tell. Unfortunately for TB, it's looking like my original plans to own the bag for 10 years, will have to be extended to owning it more or less for the rest of my life and possibly leaving it for my unborn children. I'm not sure if it counts as a complaint that the bag may cause strife between kids battling to inherit the bag 60 years from now.

All the pockets are perfect. I clip my keys to the o-ring just under the flap and I'm able to pull them out or put them away without opening the flap. The water bottle spot fits my sigg and adjusts for bigger or smaller bottles. The back pocket is great for magazines or newspapers. I haven't used the zippered pocket on the front of the flap very often, except for boarding passes at the airport.

I wasn't expecting to like the really bright wasabi interior color as much as I do. I didn't think it would make a difference in terms of finding things inside the bag, but it actually helps a lot.

The Q-AM strap has been GREAT for biking, although with the shoulder strap. It's so quick to just zip tight or loosen. One minor complaint I have is that it'd be nice to have a place to tuck the unused buckle when I'm using the waist strap. I just wrap it around the shoulder strap near the water bottle area and that works pretty well, but it clanks against my water bottle ruining my ninja stealth.

As far as the brain cell goes, I think it's great. I've used it on its own with my laptop when I don't need the whole bag, and since I only sometimes bring my laptop with me, I should mention that the brain cell comes in and out of the bag very easily and quickly. It has also been stuffed with my nintendo wii when I bring it over to a friend's place.

Maybe an anecdote would serve to illustrate the bag's versatility. Whenever I buy things online, I have them shipped to my office. Typically, if I know that I'll be receiving a larger package, I'll just drive to work for that day. But I had pre-ordered a Nintendo Wii Fit, so I wasn't expecting it when it arrived at the office one day. I'm not sure how many of you have seen the box for this thing, but according to amazon the dimensions of the box are 20.5 x 13.2 x 3.1 inches. Given that the dimensions for the Id are 15.75 x 12 x 5.5 inches, it seemed like I'd have to wait a day to get my new toy home safely. I tried tucking the box underneath the bag flap and strapping it down as tightly as I could, but it still seemed like it could slip out sideways. So then I also extended the waist strap as far as it would go and wrapped the around the box length-wise. I wish I had a picture of this, because it really was one of the prouder moments of my life. A coworker asked if I was worried about damaging my expensive messenger bag. And I assured him that the expense of the bag was a consequence of its indestructibility.

I'm sure I've left out some more things that I love about the bag. I could probably write a paragraph on each pocket of the bag and how great it is, but I won't, because this is already way too long. One negative that I found when I was trying to find more info about the bag is that it's hard to search for because it's called "Id". It might be nice if there was a place to store some owner information, so that if the bag ever does get lost, I'll feel like it'll make its way back to me safe and sound.

Okay, that's it. If anyone does have any questions for me, I'd be happy to answer them.

Cliffs notes: Got Tom Bihn Id. Life is good.

06-21-2009, 07:01 PM

qustelin

I've had the ID for a little over 2 weeks and I've been impressed by the bag. It has a nice overall balance on the shoulder. It holds a lot more than you would expect- the pockets expand. The access to contents are well thought out. I also had a great experience with being able to dig out my keys on the keychain with one hand and the bag still on my shoulder. That was a really pleasant surprise not to have to set the bag down or open it up to get to the keys. One side pocket contains my blackberry and jawbone. I've used the brain cell to carry the laptop and power brick to different meetings. A big thumbs up for the ID.